Class Notes

Class Notes for 1997

News this month was abuzz with reunion. * Many who contributed mentioned they would be attending, including Morgan von Prelle Pecelli, who wrote to say she is looking forward to it! * Julie Lynch James is also hoping to make it to reunion. She and husband David welcomed daughter Hannah in February. They are hoping to move from their Boston condo to a new home in Dorchester in April. Julie sees Jill Rathbun, who lives in Sabbatus, Maine, and Kristina Dix Johnson, who works in Cambridge, Mass., quite a bit. * In September 2010 Jennifer Robbins started her own full-service market research firm in Boston, Anderson Robbins Research, with Chris Anderson ’93. She reports the business is thriving and she has enjoyed networking and reconnecting with many Colby alums in the Boston area this past year. Jen lives in Andover, Mass., with daughters, Delaney, 5 1/2, and Brynn, 2. Over the holidays she visited Josh and Kate Charbonnier Oeltjen and their children, Olivia, Emma, Ben, and Luke. Kate and Josh are settling into a new home in New Jersey, where Josh recently accepted a job at Campbell’s. Jen often sees Karen Griffin ’96 and Moriah Marsh ’96. * Tay Evans got engaged to Pete Rhoads, whom she met while backcountry skiing in N.H. They are planning a July wedding on Cape Cod. She has worked in fisheries habitat monitoring and restoration at the Division of Marine Fisheries in Gloucester, Mass., for about seven years. She recently saw Curt and Simone Kaplan Cote and their two daughters at their home in Andover, Mass. * It was a big year for Mike Outslay and his wife. They relocated from Colorado to northern California and welcomed their second daughter! * Gwynne Rogers is engaged to Will Villota and is planning a September wedding. She’s moving to Portland, Ore., and would love to connect with Colby alums there. * Mark and Susanna Montezemolo welcomed daughter Regina in September. Writes Susanna, “It has been amazing to watch her grow over the months. I just wish she would learn to sleep.” Sus is back to work at the Center for Responsible Lending, where she has been for about three years, and Sus (and Reggie) see Cary Gibson often. * Kim Cheah and Erik Richardson tied the knot last January in Penang, Malaysia * Marc Fairbrother began a new job as an account supervisor at the VIA Agency in Portland, Maine, a full-service advertising agency that was named 2011 Small Agency of the Year by Ad Age magazine. He heads up regional and national accounts in financial services and consumer-packaged goods. * Rebecca Durham Whithed won a photo contest for the band Alma Desnuda and had a whirlwind trip to California to see their concert and the ocean.* After a successful stint running the unwind of Lehman Brothers’ European capital markets and derivatives portfolios, Andrew Weber decided to take some time off in September. However, he was “called back into action in November with the collapse of MF Global,” where he is advising the special joint administrators of MF Global U.K. “So much for a break with Katy and 16-month-old Lily!” Andrew asked me to remind everyone of the matching challenge that he offered to increase class giving for the bicentennial. Between the bicentennial and our reunion, we have two very good reasons to give to the Colby Fund this year! * After a summer backpacking in Germany, France, and Croatia, Monika Thiele is back at United Nations Environment Programme working full-time as a program officer covering ecosystem management, particularly oceans and coasts. She’s also North American Focal Point for the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), covering issues from bats and birds to whales and sharks and beyond. She writes, “I love living in D.C. and can’t believe I’ve been here 13 years already. Looking forward to reunion and seeing everyone on Mayflower Hill!” Well said, Monika!